Living history museums are outdoor museums which portray a particular lifestyle during a bygone era. Some are quite elaborate with costumed people typical of that era going about their daily business, allowing visitors to gain an understanding of their lives and the times.
Victoria has a number of living history museums, some of which are based around the state's historic goldmining history.
- Central Deborah Gold Mine - www.central-deborah.com
- Located in the former gold-mining area of Bendigo, the Central Deborah Gold Mine offers visitors 61 metres of gold mining experiences, deep underground. Not for the faint-hearted, this journey through tunnels and tombs is an adventurous day trip for those who are keen to don a miner's lamp and hard hat to sample the sights.
- Coal Creek - www.coalcreekvillage.com.au
- Go back in time and discover what life was like between the 1870s and 1920s in a typical coal mining town. Coal Creek adjoins the site of an original black coal mine and features over 40 exhibits including shops, cottages, a church, school and railway station. Visitors can gain a valuable insight into the social, industrial and cultural values of pioneering in rural Australia. This authentic village is situated on around 12 hectares of bushland and shares its home with the Prom Country Visitor Information Centre at Korumburra.
- Flagstaff Hill - www.flagstaffhill.com
- Situated in Warrnambool, this maritime village has a famous laser show for visitors and well-known theatre show "Shipwrecked" which brings to life the historical story of Loch Ard - a maritime disaster which occurred in the 1800s. A must-see on your travels around regional Victoria.
- Gippsland Heritage Park - www.gippslandheritagepark.com.au
- A complete historical Gippsland township of the 1850s, featuring authentic buildings, agricultural machinery and attractive gardens. It is located at the western entrance to Moe.
- Porcupine Township - www.porcupinetownship.com.au
- Located on on some of the first gold diggings in the region around Maldon, it provides a fascinating insight into the history and culture of those mining days.
- Sovereign Hill - www.sovereignhill.com.au
- Try your luck and pan for gold at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. A real back in time experience, this former goldmining site is now a tourist mecca set up to depict the 1850s gold rush in the area. Visitors even get the chance to dig and pan for actual gold - and keep what they might find! A great way to interest the kids in history and have heaps of fun at the same time.
- Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement - www.pioneersettlement.com.au
- A memorable attraction which allows visitors to step back in time and experience life as an early settler in the Swan Hill area.
